Snapshots of Sarah
by ronandhermy
Summary: Moments in Sarah's life after the defeat of the Labryinth. Slight JarethSarah and even some Toby love thrown in for good measure. Disclaimer: If I owned this do you honestly think I'd be writing fanfiction?


No one spoke to Sarah Williams, for if they did then they would have to acknowledge that she was just like everyone else. That the aloof and often times cool persona had a beating heart that felt and a vulnerable mind that understood. Since no one was willing to acknowledge that fact or even give thought to its existence, Sarah remained what she always had been, Alone.

The sudden change of the outspoken little girl to the subdued thoughtful woman went virtually unnoticed for the first week or so. Then, ever so lightly, a mere pinprick of conscience began to alert the general public that something was just the slightest bit off. There were no more outbursts in class passionately defending the lovers in some inane play, instead there was thoughtful discussions of the stepmothers treatment in fairytales. Maybe the stepmother was used to harsh discipline, maybe she had been given over the step-daughter who could be a brat at times and as everyone knows power corrupts. Or maybe, just maybe, the stepdaughter was to blame because as time is so apt to tell the victor writes the history.

The change caused the student body to recoil and speculate at what might have happened to bring about this alteration in demeanor. Her character was still the same but it was different somehow, more refined. Maturity had sit in, aging her as one would age a fine wine; with care and caution. Now her vary character was intoxicating as a rich Burgundy sliding down the throat of thought and caressing the senses of imagination.

Her teachers became concerned with her lack of social interaction and the withdrawal from her peers. They attempted to confront her and tried to persuade her to make friends or at the very least _talk_ to people. She would look at them as if they were a deluded child, hold herself as regally as any queen and calmly quote the works of Tolstoy and Shakespeare to defend her position, and calmly walk away leaving the higher minds flabbergasted. After they had been made fools of in more than one instance they withdrew their verbal inquires but they still watched with ill-disguised wariness.

She was never injured, never had to fear the dangers that lurked in the dark and never acknowledged the owl that watched her. Her father grew concerned when he found her standing in the middle of the street at midnight, just staring at the moon with an expression of thoughtful despair. He had been at a business party that had run late and had taken a wrong turn ending up on a deserted road looking at a woman who wore the skin of his daughter. He had approached her and called her name softly, hoping that she was merely sleep walking. She had turned slowly and upon seeing him had smiled a sad smile. A smile that said _I have a secret that I will never tell._ And she walked away, accompanied by only the flutter of wings and the welcoming shadows.

She wasn't crazy. She just found she didn't need to sleep as much anymore. Dreams were all well and good but she knew _he_ ruled there and to stay to long was to be subject to his cruel mercy. She saw him as he watched her but she never let him know. Never let him know that she approved. Watch the enemy, look for weaknesses, make them feel safe then take what you want from the one who stole form you. She had been selfish, he had taught his lesson well, and now the penance was being paid. For when she slept, she dreamed of dancers and laughter and the haunting melody of an unseen king.

The few boys who found the rare courage to peruse her quickly discovered their efforts to be in vain. She was beautiful with raven hair and glittering jade for eyes and she had never been touched. The Virgin Queen, seemingly untouchable, would make the ultimate conquest, the brightest plume amongst the few drab feathers in the preverbal cap. It wasn't so much Sarah who drove the panting dogs away, she merely treated them with the same nonchalant indifference as everyone else, no it was the odd things that happened to the boys. After the first advance the boy would begin to lose sleep haunted by dreams of a golden King slaying those who dare touch his Queen. If a second attempt occurred the boy began to become paranoid, believing he was being fallowed by a menacing owl and was plagued by nightmares. There was never a third attempt.

Sarah loved her brother but the people around her believed her to be obsessed with his safety. She was always watching, always hovering near, telling stories of kitchen boys who braved the knight to defend the dragon. No one could understand why she would start and lock all the windows and doors when Toby began to hum a vague, unfamiliar melody. But no lock could keep out the doubt and no song could block the fear. When owl feathers began to appear around his crib she placed an iron talisman around his neck. But never around her, she belonged to him, he didn't.

When Sarah Williams disappeared it was subtly sudden. Her bed was barely made as it always was, her dirty cloths still lay in the hamper and her locker was still filled with aged textbooks and photographs of the past. It was as if she had just steeped outside her life for a little bit and planned to return at any moment. She had faded from ash, to smoke to finally a mere imprint in them minds of those who cared to remember. Her brother held her memory close to his heart, knowing that she ad just gone ahead to pave the way for him. He didn't know how he knew, he just did, that deep in his heart that these people he called Ma and Pa were not his true parents, not his true family. His family, his _real_ family, was far away from him. Waiting for him to say the right words.

Robert and Karen Williams were alone, abandoned by their children and lacking in the knowledge of how to retrieve them. There son had disappeared three years after their daughter had vanished. He had gone to bed one night, as he always had, and the next morning was gone. There were no signs of struggle, just a solitary owl feather resting on the yellow coverlet and a lingering melody hanging in the air.

88888888888888888888888

"Mommy?"

"Yes, darling?"

"We don't have to go back again, right? We don't have to go back to the dead land with no dreams, right?"

"No, darling, we don't have to go back. We'll stay here forever. Beloveds of the King. I'll be the Queen and you can be my prince. How's that sound?"

"But you always said princes were wrong to kill the dragon and dragging off innocent girl."

"So I did. All right, not a prince then. How about a king in training? Will that do?"

"You mean like daddy?"

"Yes darling like daddy."

888888888888888888888888888888

A/n: I'm just going to take a deep breath now. Okay in the end there it was Toby talking to Sarah and yes the daddy mentioned is Jareth. Reviews are love…and crack. Feed my addiction. Love.


End file.
